Parts of Maju Forest to make way for new public housing estate in Clementi

SINGAPORE - About 15ha of forest in Clementi's Sunset Way area will make way for new public housing developments in the coming years.

The Housing Board on July 10 announced plans for the 23ha Maju Forest. The board had commissioned an environmental study for the greenfield site - land that has never been built on - which has been largely zoned for residential use since 1980.

HDB said about 8ha of the site, which is bounded by Brookvale Drive, Clementi Road and Sunset Way, will be retained to "provide refuge for wildlife and facilitate fauna movement".

This includes a natural freshwater stream and vegetation that has high biodiversity value, as well as the area around the Old Jurong Railway Line where a new 4km-long nature trail is being studied.

Nature groups were engaged throughout the planning process, the board added.

The study, conducted by Singapore Environmental Consultancy and Solutions, recorded 113 fauna species within the site.

Six species - mainly birds - were of conservation significance. They are the straw-headed bulbul, buffy fish-owl, changeable hawk-eagle, oriental magpie-robin, bamboo bat and long-tailed macaque.

The report said that parts of the retained forest could be affected by slope stabilisation works along the Old Jurong Railway Line, which could involve clearing the area and earthworks.

Native plants will be replanted in the affected portions after works are completed. The report also recommended measures such as limiting vegetation clearance and conducting wildlife checks before trees are removed, to reduce the impact on the surrounding retained environment and biodiversity.

HDB said that where feasible, plants of conservation significance within parts of the site that will make way for the new housing estate will be salvaged before construction begins. Clearance of the site in phases will allow fauna to move safely to adjacent green spaces ahead of site works, it added.

The future estate will incorporate greenery, including native plants.

The nearby Clementi Nature Trail, which will be 2km long, as well as the Old Jurong Line Nature Trail, will be completed progressively, HDB added. These trails help maintain ecological connectivity so that wildlife can safely travel through these areas.

HDB said mitigation measures will be finalised after agencies review the public feedback submitted. Additional measures or monitoring requirements may also be incorporated.

More details about the future housing estate, including the number of residential units, will be announced at a later date.

Lester Tan, a member of the Nature Society Singapore's conservation committee, said HDB's measure to keep about a third of the forested area is the minimum compromise to balance development and conservation.

If a good canopy of trees is retained, birds flying through the area may not be greatly affected, he said. But he warned that pangolins - which have been found in Maju Forest - are shy creatures and could be affected by the proximity to people.

"If the green corridor is not conducive, the animals will be displaced," said Tan, who is also chairman of the society's Marine Conservation Group.

He added that there could be more wildlife sightings in the nearby landed enclave and HDB blocks as a result of the construction.

The southern part of the site was developed for public housing in the 1980s, while the northern portion was left undeveloped.

Tracks from the former Jurong Railway Line, which closed in the 1990s, still remain, making the forest a popular hiking route.

In 2024, about 3.6ha of Maju Forest was cut down to make way for the 1.2km-long Brookvale Drive, which connects Sunset Way and Clementi Road, to support an influx of residents in the 660-unit Ki Residences condominium.

The developer of the condo - Hoi Hup Sunway Clementi, a joint venture between Hoi Hup Realty and Sunway Developments - had said that nature groups were concerned about the impact on the environment.

The developer made an effort to preserve what it could, such as hiring arborists to survey each tree to make sure no birds or nests would be destroyed, ST reported then.

A separate environmental impact study by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on the Cross Island Line, published in 2022, had found critically endangered animals such as the straw-headed bulbul and Sunda pangolin in Maju Forest.

The LTA said then that it will reduce the size of the worksite for the future Maju station, which straddles Maju Forest and Clementi Forest, to cut down on land taken from the forests.

HDB has published the latest environmental report on its website, and the public can provide feedback to the agency via an online form until Aug 6.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.